Trade unions and professional organizations in Istanbul have unveiled their program for this year’s May Day and reaffirmed a key demand: a return to Taksim Square. The announcement was made at a joint press conference by the union confederations DISK and KESK, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), and the Turkish Medical Association (TTB). Accordingly, an application has been submitted to the authorities to hold this year’s rallies at the symbolic Taksim Square. A decision by the Istanbul Governor’s Office is still pending.
DISK Chair Arzu Çerkezoğlu stated that this year’s May Day is taking place under particularly strained social conditions as workers, employees, women, and young people are facing increasing poverty, rising tax burdens, and declining real wages. According to Çerkezoğlu, the mobilization will focus on demands for social justice, fair taxation, and democratic rights. She also announced that the demand for peace will play a central role.
“Peace and brotherhood are what we workers need most urgently,” Çerkezoğlu said, emphasizing that a political shift is particularly necessary in the context of the Kurdish question. Instead of military escalation, she said, democratic solutions, dialogue, and negotiations are needed. She also criticized the ongoing political repression and state measures against opposition forces.
Çerkezoğlu placed this year’s May Day in an international context as well, stating that the labor movement worldwide will demand not only social rights but also peace. “We will continue to oppose imperialist violence and strengthen the joint struggles of peoples,” she said.
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